Gosh, it's another Human Gem AU!
by MarsTsar
Summary: Fic inspired by an AU done on tumblr by @drawbauchery. Meet the staff at the city university, they might remind you of some people!
1. Meet the Librarian

The autumn drizzle was already setting in on the first day of a new academic year. Pulling into the campus grounds, the bus was packed with both freshers exchanging meet-and-greets and returning students catching up with eachother on the events of the long summer, not a thought spent on the lectures that were to come.

One young woman sitting on the bus had thought, one year ago, that she had done this return for the last time. After crossing the final gauntlet of education, Perri was certain a placement in some swish new tech job was waiting for her.

Well, that was on hold for a while. In the meantime, she pleaded a few final favours from the librarian to get her an interview for a job on tech support. She still lived on beans, but after getting a job in the library on the old campus, and sharing a rent with some ballet dancer she somehow become friends with over the last few years, she at least kept the lights on.

Perri never came to Bleu Demone Campus much, the Yzma L.O Campus she went to was where she got her Computer Science degree, and was a magnificent world of glass and metal, everything felt practically new, and it was. Bleu was where the university started, focused on the arts, and was an ancient ground of mossy old stone buildings, structurally sound in the same sense that the Pyramids were. The library was an old converted church, and was black from grime. She could inhale the dust from a mile away.

Whoever was running that building, she guessed, had to be a million years old.

She was the last off the bus, noting that it probably wasn't a good show for the first day on the job to come in at the same time as the students. She turned until she set eyes on the Front Office, deciding that it was where she had to go to get her stuff. Covering her hair from the drizzle, irritatingly becoming a light shower, she took her first steps on her first 'real' job.

They were nearly her last, she reflected on later, when her crossing of the road came close to turning lethal, as a blue and white blur sped past her, mere feet in front of her.

"Hey!", she cried out, doing a full 360 as she jumped back from the blur. Steadying herself, she saw it continue down the road through the campus. Pushing her glasses back up, the blur came into focus, and confusion gave to anger as it turned into a blue motorcycle, rider in a helmet and white tanktop.

"Watch where you're going, you-", many words passed through her mind, only at the last moment did she catch herself. She was now staff, this was her workplace, and she had to set an example of behaviour.

"You, CLOD!"

The incident of the morning aside, she soon got her keys from the office and had settled into her new domain. The computer suite was an extension to the original church building, a 'new' addition that was still twice as old as she was. She didn't think the felt floor was that exact colour when it was first put in, but it was mostly clean and, more importantly, quiet.

Perri waited for calls for assistance and, by midday, she was bored.

 _Minesweeper_ beckoned her on the old PC sitting on what was now her desk, but she resisted. She supposed she should at least get to know the layout of the building, and she hadn't even met the librarian that had to be somewhere inside. She never was much of a charmer, she thought, but it was better to meet her coworkers while they were in something of a greeting mood. She might even find something to read.

The library section was a labyrinth, three stories built inside the old main hall of the church, and she saw books on countless topics, literature, history, painting, maths, politics, economics, and the bottom levels built deep underneath the building housed some books that looked one, maybe two hundred years old. The whole maze felt _heavy_ with the knowledge nearly trapped inside the stone walls.

Perri worried about getting lost and starving to death. She didn't even have breakfast this morning. Yes, not a good show on the first day at all.

After what may have been five minutes or an hour, at last found her place again, and arrived to a space that framed the main entrance to the library.

There, finally, she met another human being, sitting behind the desk at the side of the space. And she was a surprise.

She looked about Perri's age, dark skinned, with dyed blue shoulder-length hair. The hair was her main and only extravagance, other than that she was the most Librarian librarian Perri had ever set eyes upon. Her light brown sweater looked several sizes too large, her blue scarf nearly covered her entire neck, and her furrowed brow hid behind a pair of large round glasses, not too different from Perri's own. Her cheeks were rounder and fuller than Perri's narrow face and sharp chin, and her lips were quietly muttering as she kept full attention on the book she had six inches from her eyes. She hadn't noticed Perri at all.

"Emmm..." Perri began, moving towards the desk to get her attention. "Hello?"

"Ahh!", gasped the librarian, finally noticing Perri, dropping her book onto the desk and whipping her neck to face her. "I'm really sorry, I..."

She seemed to have a bigger need for glasses than Perri, her pair had to be twice as thick for them to be so magnified, but even then they seemed to get larger as they stared at Perri. Both women were motionless, the librarian moving her jaw in a futile attempt to form words and Perri herself frozen and beginning to sweat at the eyes studying her face as intently as she had studied hers.

Just as Perri was beginning to worry if she had a stutter, she was beaten in being the first to speak again. "I, I, apologies, Miss, first day back is always a bother." Her voice was soft, steady, more calm than outright posh. Perri liked it.

"Nono, it's alright, it happens to the best of us!", replied Perri, suddenly aware of her 'nasally slobbish geek' tone when compared to the librarian.

The librarian rubbed her chin, her hands disappeared up the huge sleeves of her sweater. "So, well, can I help you with anything? I imagine it's a strange new experience coming to university!", she offered, along with a smile of pure innocence.

Perri blushed, as much to the smile as to her long-running case of vertical disadvantagement. "Ehh, actually, I'm the new I.T. here, thought I'd stop over, meet the coworkers."

The smile disappeared into a look of pure horror. "Oh my word, I'm so sorry! Oh, I was told we would get a fulltime computer technician, but they weren't at their desk in the...well, never mind that, it's good to meet you!" She jutted out her right hand, holding it straight as a board, though visibly trembling. Perri decided to put her out of her misery and accepted the handshake, "I'm the librarian here, Laplace Lassoli. Not 'La Plass' as in the famous mathematician, but 'La Pièce' as in the phrase, 'La pièce de résistance', French for 'the main meal'." she greeted, ending with a nervous chuckle. She was still shaking Perri's hand. "On most days it is just me and Amy, our archivist, although it seems she believes the year has yet to begin. One thing you should know about her, she's in Greek Studies, and she is a true student of Aristippus!"

Perri did not know who that was, and she decided to not challenge it. Mercifully, Laplace let go of her hand.

"Yeah, I can't wait to meet her. I'm Perri Fifecksgee, by the way. Don't ask me to spell that." It only just then occurred to her that she only planned as far as giving her name. "Umm, do you..." Blank. Panic. Autopilot. "Do you want to get some coffee?"

Her cheeks burned red as she realised what she just said, and on seeing Laplace's reaction. "E-eh-excuse me?!", exclaimed Laplace, her own cheeks beginning to blush.

Perri's mind raced to explain itself. "Ah! I mean, well, it's, it's the afternoon, and I think maybe we should get a coffee and a sandwich? Like, I bring you something if-"

Laplace couldn't have replied any more quickly, "Nonono, I understand you, yes, that is an excellent idea, let us go-, she cut herself off, turning her face to look at something behind Perri. Perri turned to see it herself, and to her horror saw three students, two lankey twin sisters with dyed red hair, and a third shorter girl with a head of strawberry blonde so thick her eyes were hidden to the world, all looking at them.

"Are, are you girls in need of assistance?", asked Laplace, struggling to keep her voice from cracking. The twins looked at eachother, and one of them answered, "No, Miss, we're alright."

"Alright.", Laplace turned back to Perri. "Then I suppose we shall get a bite to eat."

Perri and Laplace were in such a hurry to leave the building, they didn't overhear the students talking, and neither had any interest to.

"Wow, Rue, who do you think Ms. Lassoli was talking to?", spoke one of the twins.

Rue replied, "I'm not sure, Tilly, she must be a fresher, but I didn't see her in lectures."

The shorter one let out a loud gasp, before declaring, "Ms. Lassoli has just met someone!"

Tilly pinched her own nose. "You don't say, Paddy?"


	2. Meet the Biker

"...and she had spent the entire night locked in there!", concluded Laplace, giving an anecdote about her coworker as they returned through the doors, "It was good we had a group from Medieval Studies come in the morning, I can assure you they had the scare of their lives!"

The tale of the archivist's plight had Perri in a giggle, her stomach aching, all the while sparing some pity for Amy, Perri remembering a traumatising experience involving locking herself in the bathroom as a little girl. "God, this Amy sounds like a riot!"

"If you mean she's unplanned and uncontrollable, then I'll have to agree with you!", beamed Laplace, laughing as well, although still trying to keep it reserved. "But she's a sweetheart when you get to know her." Shrugging her shoulders, she walked around her desk and took her seat again, noting the meager pile of books in her 'Return' bin. "Ah, this can probably still go a few hours before sorting. The year is young, and when the work for the students gets harder, so it will for us. But, for now...", she peered into the bin, tongue stuck out, rather like a kitty, Perri observed, "Hmm, Homer, Voltaire, Yeats, good places for anyone to start as far as all are concerned..."

Perri once heard a saying, 'Make sure you are friends with a librarian.' This did her good service when getting her degree, her old librarian was the best search engine she could ever have. He wouldn't give her 100,000 searches, but he'd give her the three that she needed. She looked into the bin, seeing _The Iliad_ on the top of the small pile. She reached in and-

"Ah. Ah. Nope!", interrupted Laplace, raising a finger. "No removing books from the bin. Those are the Rules." Picking up the book herself, she checked the front page, and turned to her computer, typing one key at a time. "I cannot ever get used to typing.", she admitted, seeming regretful. "I'm useless at it. I suppose you'd be much better at it than I."

"Uhh, I suppose.", responded Perri, cheeks going rosey as she scratched her head. "I once clocked myself at about 80 words a minute." At the corner of her eye was an open notebook on Laplace's desk, half filled and with one of those old-style fountain pens sitting on top of it. Perri could see it clearly enough that it was some of the most beautiful calligraphy she ever saw. She hadn't written in cursive since she was eight years old, and she could hardly remember the last time she wrote something down longer than a shopping list.

"My word, I wish I could be that fast!", complemented Laplace, finishing the processing of the book. "And here you are, Ms. Fifecksgee, I present to you Homer's _Iliad_.", she handed out the book with two hands and a bow, in a way Perri _imagined_ was a little more dramatic than how she regularly did it, but she couldn't be entirely sure. She grabbed the book with both hands, instinctively returning the bow. "Wow. Thanks for the...suggestion, I guess? I'll give it a read when I can."

Laplace smiled from ear to ear, "Great! Just pop it back in when you're done, don't try to put it on the shelves, and obviously don't fold the pages. Oh!" She ruffled through her desk to find something, picking up a strip of paper. "You can borrow one of mine!"

Perri accepted the bookmark. She could see that it had a drawing of two cats, one green and the other blue, having an eskimo kiss, with a heart above their heads. Noticing which one she had just given Perri, Laplace blushed, "Umm, I have other ones if you-"

"No, no, this is lovely.", Perri cut her off, pulling in to emphasise, "You been very...friendly, to me. I never thought I would ever pick up a book like this. Usually it would just be some New Wave Sci Fi or mang-well, comic books."

Laplace gave a warm chuff. "Well, you'll have to bring me some issues to make it fair. I suppose _Superman_ always appealed to me."

"Heh.", Perri answered, nervously, "Yeah, I'll bring something at some point." Leaving unmentioned exactly what _kind_ of comics she collected. She'd probably be fired if she brought them onto campus grounds.

"Well, I suppose I shall see you later, Perri. Thank you for the tea."

Perri's mind buzzed as she went back to her desk. She always thought artsy students were, well, dim, but the deep knowledge Laplace had was impressive. She had a habit of running her tongue, but she never seemed to be 'snooty' about it, probably out of the sheer, although collected, enthusiasm she had about talking about such things. Perri never thought she would do anything but hate poetry and history and mythology, but Laplace had something to her...sweetness?...that made it all sound wonderful. She passed the library's section on calculus, think about how she talked about her work. She never thought of herself as being particularly good at explaining to people her work, she'd slip and stutter and then she'd see them getting bored and finally she'd just stop talking. She was proud at managing to graduate, extremely proud, but even her own parents couldn't ever see the beauty of something as basic as running a simplex algorithm, aside from being told about the salaries that await people who are good at it.

But Laplace, she was so patient, so genuinely interested in her field, even if she herself was terrible with computers. She felt _good_ about sharing her expertise with her, and she felt _better_ learning about her interests, she wanted to know more about them, she wanted to know more about...her...

Her legs wobbled as she walked into her office. She felt queasy, but swallowed it down. Must've been the tuna sandwich, she told herself, falling into the chair. Maybe it was just the flu returning to campus. She shook her head straight and turned her eyes to the computer. A bead of sweat feel from her forehead as she finished reading the line about someone, somehow, managing to turn off antivirius in every computer in one of the admin offices, half an hour ago.

Taking a deep breath, she checked her watch. 2:00PM. She checked how many computers were infected. She reckoned she'd have the job done by six.

On Mondays, buses ran from the campus until 11:00PM, and Perri managed to get halfway through the light rain until watching the last bus pull away from the stop.

"Wait, WAIT! STOP!", her sprint quickly burnt out, like the Shooting Star of Hope promptly disintegrating upon hitting the Atmosphere of Despair, and blew off the urge to curse with a few stomps on the ground.

Through the darkness, through the rain, she saw something glisten in the corner of her eye, as she walked towards administration to call a taxi. The carpark nearest the library was nearly empty, aside from two forms near the bike railings. The larger one reflected the Moon and streetlamps like metal, and the smaller one seemed to be moving around it.

Paying closer attention, it seemed to Perri that the light it reflected off was a familiar shade of blue.

"Hey!", she shouted, frustrations with infected computers boiling over any rational human response to probably not try to start business with bikers. She stomped towards bike and biker as intimidatingly as possible. In short, 'not very'. "You nearly ran me over this morning! I demand to be given an apolog-"

She stopped in her tracks, about ten feet away from the bike and its rider, who turned to face her, not in a combative stance, as the rational part of her brain had tried to scream at was likely, but in surprise, recoiling back with a gasp, bring their hands up to their mouth. "Perri?", came a familiar voice.

The thought offended Perri's common sense such that she was reluctant to name it. It sounded mad.

"Laplace?"

The form took a few steps forward, coming into the light. It revealed Laplace, without her sweater and scarf, instead wearing a black leather jacket, unzipped, and a white tank top. Both of her arms were covered, from the shoulders to the middle of the forearm, in tattoos, patterns of wavy blue lines.

Laplace was the first to react, speaking in a rushed tone, "Oh Perri, I'm so sorry for this morning! I rode in and I nearly didn't see someone walking out and I just swerved at the last second and-"

"Laplace, it's ok!", Perri nearly shouted over what seemed to be Laplace's dive into a panic attack. She reached out with her hands, not entirely sure way, and Laplace lowered down her own hands and grabbed them. Laplace seemed to have the start of tears in her eyes, but her hastening breathing slowed down again as she squeezed Perris hands. "Listen, I'm not angry. Hey, I didn't look both ways, it's as much my fault as well." Perri's brain still ticked over the confusing sight before her.

"No, don't apologise, I should have turned around and apologise to you this morning. It's just..." Laplace huffed. "I was too shy."

Perri was confused, unashamedly so, and the face Laplace saw told her she needed to explain further. She blushed, presumably at having been 'caught' by someone she knew for one day.

"I thought it would attract unwanted attention if people found out the Librarian was a...'Biker Chick'. I worked in other places before this, and I would just get...followers. People who wouldn't leave me alone." Her face flashed in panic, and she pulled Perri towards her. "Please don't tell anybody! Please!"

Perri stared straight into her trembling eyes, she heard her give a soft whimper and she pleaded.

Perri regained her footing, raising both pairs of hands up to chest level, and smiled, "Your secret is safe with me."

Laplace sighed in relief, releasing Perri's hands and throwing her arms around her back, squeezing tight. "Thank you, Perri."

Perri was left winded from the sudden grip around her lungs, but just about managed to return the hug. She was almost reluctant to ask any more questions less the night get any stranger.

"So, why do you...well, why do you ride a bike?"

Laplace released her slowly, before turning to look at the motorcycle beside her. She spoke slowly, some reluctance behind divulging it, "When I was little, I had trouble...talking, to people. Not responding to cues. Or sometimes just repeating what was said to me. 'Like talking to a mirror', my grandmother used to say. So, I got put into equine therapy by my parents, and it...helped. Learning to focus my brain on multiple things at once, bonding with the horse, it helped me...'rewire my brain', to some extent. That is probably just how I imagine it, rather than how it helped, but I could understand people better after it. Obviously, I can't afford to own a horse, but then, when I was 17, I got my first motorbike. A tiny thing, it was a surprise it stayed together, but when it's feels a lot like riding a horse. I can feel myself becoming more confident just putting on the jacket, I can practically walk on air after a ride. You feel like a knight leading a charge as you fly down that road."

Laplace turned to Perri again, noticing her looking at the back of her jacket. "Oh, heh, it was a gift from my parents when I came to the city. Artificial leather, of course." She turned again to show Perri the full pattern on her back, two blue angels wings unfurled in a 'w' shape, with words along the top.

"Blue Bird.", read Perri.

She turned and faced Perri, sitting down on the seat of the bike. "So, yeah, now only you and Amy know."

"Oh, you can trust me, I won't tell anyone." An awkward silence loomed, which made Perri realise that it was no longer raining. "Well, uhh, I need to call a taxi, so..."

"Oh?", Laplace's cheeks began to blush again. "Well, I can give you a ride home if you want."

Perri suddenly felt short of air. "Ah, um, isn't that called...?"

Laplace interrupted, "Well, the _proper_ way of saying it is 'Riding Pillion'. I have one installed, Amy sometimes needs a ride."

Perri looked at the bike uncertainly. "I've never rode one before, but...well, I can hardly afford to use taxis on my budget, so I guess I'll say yes."

Laplace jumped in the spot and flashed a grin. "Yay! Well..." turning to the bike and boarding it, swinging her left leg around and falling onto the pad, she kicked off the stands. "You better hold on tight!"

Something about the sight before her made Perri quake. We wanted it to be anxiety.

"You..do wear your glasses when you ride, though?"

Laplace looked offended, "Of course! I'm not an animal."

Before her brain told her to stop, Perri duly boarded the pad behind Laplace. "Oh, here's my helmet, if you want."

Perri automatically took the black helmet and slid it onto her head. "Alright, tell me when you're starting o-"

With a kick of the starter, the bike revved into life, causing Perri to grab tightly onto Laplace. "Ahhh!"

With a laugh, and turning to see the helmeted Perri clutching tightly to her shoulder, Laplace hit the pedal and drove out of the campus grounds.


	3. Meet the Law Students

"Let me tell ya, Bell, one more year of this and we can take the bar, then we'll be jet-setting lady-bedding super lawyers. You and me, legalistically destroying dictators and warlords the world over."

The old library building loomed above them as Bell listened to Yana's hangover ramblings. Sometimes Bell was forced to think Yana chose Law just so she'd be be able to attend the many times she would be brought to court as her own defence.

"Perhaps uncovering the machinations of authoritarian states can wait a little longer, Yana, perhaps after we've learned all there is to know about 'Queen Anne and the Origins of Copyright Law'.", huffed Bell, climbing the humble set of steps in front of the library. "And that might have to be left to you, I've always told you I want to focus on the Defence."

"Bell, I'm shocked.", Yana replied, in mock surprise, " _You_ would trust _me_ to go to the Hague all by myself? They say all sorts of things about Dutch women, you might never see me again."

Bells eyes shot around the campus, dreading to imagine someone overhearing. "Oh, quiet, you!", she whispered, "And you took my name, that means no more adventures, I _own_ you, now."

"Because we both agreed your name was the more lawyery one. It's all about presentation.", countered Yana, elbowing Bell in the side.

Walking through the large doors, Bell took in the slightly dark, but rather well-kept interior of the converted church. Before her stood shelves and shelves of books, but only after a clearing with a marble floor.

"Mind the step.", came a soft voice.

"What?", asked Yana, rather more loudly than what was strictly appropriate for a library. Debate classes taught one to carry ones voice so all might hear, the Law being as clear as the voice used to proclaim ones own interpretation of it. Some found it difficult to turn off this ability once it had been found and cultivated.

"Yana.", Bell whispered while shifting the books in her arms into her right arm so she might tap Yana with her left. She had looked down and saw the small step onto the marble floor, which was mirrored by another step down into the rows of shelves in front of them. Nimbly navigating the small hazard, the two stepped onto the marble.

"Hello, there!", greeted the soft voice, which Bell could see was coming from a desk to the side. A blue-haired women, in a brown sweater, cheerily waving at them with a big smile on her face.

Before Bell could stop it, Yana was already beside the desk, in full seductress mode, "Well, morning to you, Blue. You seem nice, I don't suppose you have much experience with lawyers..."

The women gave a quiet chuckle, "Now, you would be surprised about that..."

"I AM.", screamed Bell, before adjusting her volume. "I would like to apologize for her, we're law students who've transferred for the bar exam, we're just here to pick up some books, and Yana here is most certainly _not_ 'on the market'. Are you, Yana?" Bell could imagine Yanas hair catching fire if her glare was any more intense. "Alright, Mom, whatever you say...", shrugged Yana, pulling back from the desk.

"No, no, it's alright, just fun and games, I know how Saturday mornings can be.", the woman chimed, "Anyway, my name is Laplace, and I have not met you before but it seems you are sisters if I am reading your nametags correctly."

Yana and Bell looked at eachother, and at their respective tags, 'Y. Zerkon' and 'B. Zerkon', the pale-skinned Yana in particular amused by the seeming naivety of the librarian in thinking she's directly related to the levantine Bell. "Ehh, no, we are...married.", explained Bell.

"Oh!", squeaked Laplace, most people reacting to their matrimony in the same sort of mild surprise. "It's rather odd for people your, well, our age getting married."

"It's the sort of bright idea law students get when they learn about the tax cuts for married couples.", Yana elaborated, leaning forward to look at the book that Laplace had on her desk. "Oh, you a fan of aliens?"

Bell could already see where this was going. "Yana, stop it.", her cheeks already blushing red.

Laplace looked down at the book, "Oh, Arthur C. Clarke? I've never read any of his work before, but he does-"

"You wouldn't happen to have anything about Area 51? About Little Green Men helping Kubrick fake the Moon Landing?", Yana continued. Laplace's was blank, the image of incomprehension.

"Yana, for all that is good, you promised me not to talk about my theories in public!", Bell shouted at the top of her lungs, "And I _don't_ think they faked the Moon Landing, that's just crazy talk! They would've had sufficient technology to do it for real even if they _didn't_ have an alien ship to salvage computer hardware from!"

"Wha - they- Moon - alien shi-", Laplace rubbed her forehead, exasperated, "I am sorry, ladies, but I hope you understand if I told you we would get into trouble if we stocked material of such dubious foundations in a campus library."

Yana laughed, "Jeez, Bell, you have to relax a little. It's not going to hurt you. Y'know whatshisface, on the Supreme Court? He thinks Stonehenge was built as a landing pad for UFOs. People _love_ kooks."

"I feel as though it would not be my place to pry.", declared Laplace, Bell silently grateful, "So may I just say that I'm reading this book on the suggestion of...well, a _friend_ of mine, she's working here in the library, and-" her eyes flickered past them, looking at something behind them, "Oh, speak of the-PERRI, MIND THE ST-"

Bell heard the thunk of a foot hitting a wooden step just as she turned to see its source. She saw a blonde woman, with glasses, noticeably short, with her entire torso hidden behind a stack of books she held in both her arms. The world entered slow-motion as Bell stared into the surprised face of the woman in the process of tripping herself on the small step. Her tiny nose, her raised eyebrows, her wide eyes, the little dot that was her mouth. She was, to Bell, adorable.

And then she planted her face onto the marble floor.

"Perri!", shouted Laplace, as Bell dropped her own books and dashed towards the fallen woman. Pushing the scattered mess of books away as she kneeled down, she placed a hand on the womans shoulder. "Are you ok, Miss?!"

"OOOOOOWWWW!", was the first noise to come from the little pile in front of her. Seeing a shaking hand sliding up towards the womans shoulders, she picked it up in her own and gave it a light squeeze. The woman squeezed back, twice as hard, "Can you hear me, Miss?!"

"Nah-huh!", was the reply in-between pants, which Bell took to mean 'Yes', she took a breath before she continued. "Alright, let's get you spun around so we can look at you."

Lifting gently the hand that she was holding, she helped the woman to spin herself into a sitting position. She was making rapid breaths, and Bell could see a triangular mark right in the centre of her forehead, but miraculously her glasses were still intact. She made direct eye-contact with her, can she seemed to slightly calm down. "Ok, can you tell me where it hurts?"

"My-", she made a big sniff, her cheeks beginning to puff, "My head, and my knee hurts."

Bell noticed a few things when looking down at the womans legs. First, she was still holding her hand, and she didn't want to risk letting go. Secondly, she was wearing cargo shorts, so she could see her right knee, which had a mark. And lastly, both the knee and the forehead had broken skin, and bruises were likely on the way.

"Alright, there doesn't seem to be anything to worry about. What's your name?", Bell tried to keep her voice level, to make sure she wasn't frightened.

"P-Perri.", she answered, before another sniff.

"Alright, Perri, you only have a few little cuts, and I have cream to help it." She repositioned herself to the right of the siting Perri, rubbing her back in a soothing motion. "Alright, Perri, I'm Bell. I'll need both hands to get the cream, Perri."

Perri released her hand, and she quickly fished out her tube of antiseptic cream, twisting off the top and squeesing out a small white blob. "Ok, this might sting a little bit, but it'll help it heal and not hurt later. Alright?" Perri replied with a silent nod of the head.

Bell dabbed the cream onto her forehead, and started applying it across the whole mark. Perri squirmed a little, and tears started forming around her eyes.

"Perri, are you ok?", Laplace spoke, Bell noticing her for the first time sitting opposite her next to Perri.

"I'm not crying! It's a...reaction! It's automatic!", protested Perri, as the tears started running down her face.

Laplace rubbed her back, "Oh, you don't have to make excuses, sweetie..."

"I'm not making ex...", Perri sniffed, louder this time, "...cuses."

"Alright, Perri, it's nearly done.", assured Bell, taking out another blob of cream. Her eyes caught Yana for a second, for once looking speechless.

"Bell.", declared Yana, "I want to have babies with you."

Bell blushed, applying the cream to Perri's knee. "This isn't exactly the ti-"

"Hey dudes!", came another voice, from within the maze of shelves. "Sorry I'm late, I got ya all donut-" she turned the corner into Bells view, she saw a woman with dyed-white hair in a ponytail, holding a donut box. She was looking directly at Perri, and assumed a more aggressive stance, face filled with anger. "WHO MADE PERRI CRY?!"

"I'M NOT CRYING!"


	4. Meet the Actress

Perri treasured the taste of the hot coffee, swirling the first tiny sip in her mouth to help wake herself up. She barely slept all night.

"Seems like someone didn't sleep well last night. What, did Mom not put you to bed?", snickered Amy, fidgeting with her can of soft drink. Laplace, the third member of their table in the campus cafe, gave Amy a glare, but not before needing to smother a quiet giggle of her own.

Perri hid her face behind the coffee cup. Bell's intervention at her little 'accident' was appreciated, but she would've preferred it if Amy had chosen to sleep in a little longer that day.

"No, actually. It was my roommate, making a racket.", Perri explained, but quickly stopping herself. She had forgotten her laptop and a few other things in the morning, and she didn't want to badmouth the woman that was bringing that stuff to her.

"That's the ballerina, isn't it?", asked Laplace, dipping a biscuit into her cup of tea before taking a bite. Perri still had trouble coming round to the notion that beneath that oversized sweater were two arms full of tattoos.

"Nah, isn't she an actress?", interrupted Amy, cracking open her can, "And you never told us her name."

"She is a ballerina, but she's been trying to get into stage plays.", Perri clarified, speaking from severals weeks of experience with her singing practice. She had a good voice, a very good voice, but she thanked God for headphones when she was working on code. "Oh, and her name is Pearl."

Amy snorted, "Pearl?! Is she from some trailer park in the South? Who names their kid after a rock?"

"Amy, don't be rude.", Laplace commanded, sternly, "'Pearl' is a perfectly fine name. And pearls aren't rocks."

Perri decided to head off this discussion about rock-based names before it started. "Her name really is something like 'Pierina'. Supposed to be the name of some famous ballerina. But she prefers 'Pearl'."

Laplace set down her cup after a quick sip. "Did she have friends over last night?"

Perri blushed again, "Well, she said she was going out with someone, and I heard them coming back in at around one o'clock. Put it this way, there's only one wall between our bedrooms."

Laplace looked confused for a moment, before having her cheeks burn red. "Oh, I didn't know your roommate was...'exploring'. You should've had her meet Amy."

"Shut your trap, Lap!", Amy pointed her finger at Laplace. "You wouldn't see me with those types. They probably spend their time all, making poetry and pressing flowers and making gluten-free cookies with raisins in them. You meet who she got the hots for, P?"

Perri shook her head. In matter of fact, she had been spending most of the day trying to block out the details of what had been moaned through her bedroom wall.

"Ehh, probably some stuck-up Drama diva, as fun as a funeral." Amy sniffed, taking a gulp of her soda. "Probably wears a beret."

"That's quite enough.", Laplace declared again, "What was it that you told me? 'Get to know people first...'"

"...and then make fun of them.' Yes, Lappy, I know. But if this chick is making my girl miserable, then I don't like her.", Amy shot Perri a smile and a wink.

"And don't you think it's rather rich for a Greek Studies graduate to accuse another of being flowery?", questioned Laplace, one eyebrow raised skeptically.

"Oh, don't dare put me on the level of Drama students!", countered Amy, "The story of the Greek epics is not one for the weak-stomached. There is rape and murder, glory and conquest, slain monsters and sacked cities, Men laid low before a contemptuous Pantheon. And some killer bods, too."

Amy wasn't all that bad, Perri thought with a chuckle. "Alright, Homer, keep it down, that's her right now."

Pearl walked through the door. Well, Perri contemplated, 'walked' didn't do it justice. Most people believe that you 'learn' to walk in the first years of your life, but seeing Pearl do it made Perri realise that most people just stop learning it by the time they reach five. For some, 'walking' is something that you have to keep learning how to do well into your adult years, and Pearl had reached the point of being rather good at it. It wasn't just her tall, slender figure that made her look lighter than air, it was her practiced pace, the graceful placement of step after step, that made her look like she was constantly in a dance.

Perri had nightmares after seeing her feet.

"Hey, Perri!", chirped Pearl, taking Perri's laptop bag off of her shoulder. "Here's your stuff!"

"Thanks, Pearl." Perri set down her coffee after a long gulp to accept the bag. "Oh, here's my coworkers I was telling you about, Laplace and Amy.

Both of them said 'Hello' to Pearl, one sounding earnest and the other sounding awkwardly hollow.

"It's good to meet you two, finally!", accepted Pearl, giving a warm smile as she pulled back a lick of hair from her peach pixie-cut.

Perri huffed a laugh, sounding nearly dead to the world. "You sound awfully cheery, today."

"Two reasons for that, I suppose. I've finally got a part at the theater. They're starting a run of 'Benjamin' in a few months, and guess who is playing the role of Deborah Read?", Pearl asked, striking a dainty pose.

"Oh, that's one of the main parts, isn't it?", questioned Laplace, leaning forward, "I'll need to see it, then! Congratulations!"

Perri spotted Amy give an eyeroll that was nuclear-grade.

"And...well.", Pearl twiddled with her thumbs, her ivory face going rosey, "I might've committed to something with a certain someone I've met this week. You'll need to meet her, she's such a sweetie. And her flowing hair, and her arms...oh, she's a goddess, Perri!"

"You meet her at this theatre?", asked Amy, struggling to not drip with sarcasm.

Pearl shook her head. "Well, no, we met at the ice rink. I was struggling to keep standing, and she gave me help. Like I said, she's a sweetheart. She plays hockey, actually."

Perri saw the grin on Amy's face get wiped off, her eyes widen. "Wait, she plays hockey?", said Amy, more a statement than a question.

"Uh-huh.", nodded Pearl. "Professionally, even. She's on the city Woman's Hockey team."

"Does she have vitiligo?", probed Amy, concern in her voice growing.

"What?", Pearl replied, confused.

"Does she have a streak of pale skin across her face?!", Amy shouted.

Pearl appeared to be getting embarrassed. So was Perri, people in the cafe were beginning to look at them. "Uh, well, yes, she does."

At this point Amy looked truly mortified. "What's her name?"

Pearl was nearly speechless. "Jasie. I'm not sure if yo-"

"EWWWWW?!", screamed Amy, disgusted, "That's my sister!"

Everyone in the cafe was silent.

Then a loud snort came from the librarian.

"Hahahahaha!", Laplace held her stomach in a fit of laughter. "God, Amy, you should've seen the look on your face!"

Laplace continued laughing for the best part of a minute. By the time it was done, Perri was ready to join in with her.

Pearl and Amy weren't.


	5. Meet the Cat

The bike rumbled between Laplace's legs, the V2 underneath her seat banged and sputtered out exhaust and power in equal measure. She grinned at the sight in front of her. She rose early, and in spite of picking up Perri at her flat, they had hit the city before the worst of the morning rush-hour, and a long patch of straight road laid before her.

She twisted the throttle, picking up speed.

The engine wasn't the only source of vibration. Perri gripped her tighter, squealing at the sudden acceleration. "Ahhh! Stop!"

Laplace laughed. "Just keep holding on, Perri! It's only another mile!"

"We're going to die!", screamed her passenger.

"Not today, sweetheart!", came Laplace's reply, eyes darting to look at the buildings, the few pedestrians up at this hour, the Sun rising in th-

"Brake!", came the shrill voice again in her ear, drawing her vision back to the round.

"Relax, there's nothing to worry ab-"

Laplace saw something on the road, a little blotch of colour on the black asphalt. She slammed on the brakes.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!", Laplace was winded by Perri's hug practically squeezing all the air out of her lungs. She leaned back on the rapidly halting bike, but for a terrifying moment she thought it wouldn't halt fast enough.

It stopped less than a metre before the little blotch.

She felt weight shifting on the bike as Perri stood up behind her to see it. "It's a kitty!"

Laplace nodded in agreement, "It's terrified, that's what it is."

The blotch was a small squashed ball of orange fur, a hairy sausage rolled into itself. The head was hiding in the white belly, and the little thing was visibly shaking.

Perri hopped off the bike, and walked towards the kitten. She pulled off the helmet Laplace had given her and flipped it around, holding it like a bucket as she kneeled before the ball of fluff. "Here, kitty..."

"Perri, you know what you're doing?!", asked Laplace, anxious of traffic coming up behind them.

"Easy, easy...", muttered Perri, gingerly wrapping a hand around the puss. Over the grumble of the bike engine, Laplace could here a choke in Perri's throat, probably at feeling the kitten shaking. She gently placed, or poured, it into the helmet, standing up and cradling it like a baby. She looked at Laplace, pleading eyes looking for direction, "What do we do?"

Laplace struggled for words. Her bike was for finding a simple world, with no scary surprises. The sweater was her armour when she had to make decisions, and she had rarely felt so naked without it. "I...I'm not sure. Does it have a collar?"

Perri ducked her eyes down into the helmet, Laplace could see her heart breaking at whatever it was she saw in there. "No, no tags."

Laplace felt a curse coming, but beated it down. "Get on. We'll take it to the campus."

She saw the hairs on Perri's head stand on end. " _Please_ go slowly!"

"Yeah, yeah, get on before a truck comes!"

They reached the campus early enough to give it a quick wash in a sink, the brilliant-white belly had been light gray from the amount of soot and dirt it was covered in. They were in Perri's office, trying to avoid the risk of students seeing it and causing further problems. It was on the desk beside the computer, wrapped up and drying in Perri's coat.

"This is so badass!", cheered Amy, looking in on the rescued kitten.

"Quiet, Amy.", whispered Perri, tapping her on the shoulder. "Poor thing's still scared out of its mind."

Amy pulled back, rubbing her head in embarrassment. "Oh, sorry. But ya haveta admit, this is pretty sweet. I'd be a cat if I could, just spending all day lazin' about. So, does it have a name?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out.", answered Laplace, using the keyboard with some difficulty, "I'm looking up 'Missing Pets' sites to see if it matches anything in the area."

Amy sighed, sounding disappointed. "I don't think you'll have luck. If it was older, maybe, but kittens won't go wandering without their Mom."

"Then what was it doing out on the road?", Laplace ran a hand through her hair, pushing up her glasses.

"Amy crossed her arms. "There's a lotta jerks out there, Blue. Someone might've thought it would've been funny to see some guy need to clean flattened Cat off the road."

"Don't make me imagine it.", protested Perri, holding a hand to her mouth. "It's so tiny. Who would hurt something so small?"

Amy shrugged, whipping her hair. "Most litters have a runt."

Laplace felt a headache forming. She hadn't even had her tea yet, "If it doesn't have an owner, then it's going to a shelter."

Amy moaned, "Laplace, c'mon, you have to be thinking it!"

Laplace looked at her, "Thinking what?"

"We run a library, libraries are supposed to have a cat, we should adopt the cat!"

Laplace pinched her nose, "Don't be ridiculous, Amy, we can't adopt a cat, you're in Holly's bad books already."

"She doesn't even need to know! She never even comes down here, and it's not like the students would complain!"

"Will you feed it? Clean it? Clean _after_ it? Make sure it has injections?"

"Yes!", pleaded Amy, "We had cats back home, I know how to take care of one!"

Laplace leaned back on the chair, smacking her legs with her hands, "And will it _do_ anything?"

"Umm," Perri began, appearing stiff at the brewing arguement, "I think Library Cats were originally meant for keeping out rats. I don't know if there are rats here. The place would probably be closed if there were."

Amy cut her off with a nervous laugh. "Yeah, uhh, you know how the library goes down several floors?"

Perri readjusted her glasses, "Yes, it's like a bunker. You could store whatever was left of Chernobyl at the bottom and you wouldn't feel a radioactive tingle at the ground level."

"Totally. Which makes it a real miracle how many rats manage to survive down there. Maybe someone left a giant wheel of cheese inbetween the walls like forty years ago.", she turned back to Laplace, Which furthers my point that we're under no trouble having a cat. If the admins won't notice a hoard of rats, then they won't notice us getting something to deal with them. Besides...", she looked down into the coat on the desk. "Students could do with someone to help them chill out when the work gets tough. Some people here come from the other side of the world, away from everyone they knew. They'd need it most of all."

Laplace stared into her eyes. She saw that look before. Sighing, she idly spun in the chair.

"Can you even tell if it's a boy or a girl?"

Amy looked back at the coat. "I don't think it's a good idea to touch it right now."

Perri chimed in, "Maybe it's an enby?"

Amy gave Perri a smile, "Well, it needs a name, whatever it is. I guess either of you would veto 'Androphagus'?"

Perri nodded. "I'm afraid it needs to be simple. Something like...like..."

"Pumpkin.", finished Laplace.

Both other women looked at her, confused.

"It's orange. Like a pumpkin."

Perri and Amy grinned in shared realisation. Perri spoke, "So, if you're naming it, then that means..."

"One of you can teach it to use a litterbox. The other one can promise to clean it out."

The two standing women jumped up and down as quietly as they could. "Perri, you're no longer the smallest creature in the library!"

Perri froze mid-frolic. "Hey!"

Amy laughed, "Alright, Laplace, you look after it for a sec, me and Perri gotta get her milk and stuff from the campus store."

Laplace nodded, "Remember to get a baby bottle, it might not yet be able to drink on its own."

They stayed in the room just long enough to hear her request. She smirked at the thought of the cashier being inquisitive about two women excitedly buying a baby bottle.

She nearly took her eyes off the bundle when it started moving. A little orange head peaked out and stared at her. It frowned, digging into her with its large yellow eyes.

"Hello, there.", greeted Laplace, unsure of what it wanted.

It stepped, uncertainly, out of the coat, walking along the desk towards Laplace.

"What's wrong?"

It bumped its head against her arm, and tried to climb over it.

She rolled her eyes, and smiled, "C'mere." Gently picking it up, she placed it on her lap, holding up her sweater to form a sort of sack for it. Looking up at her, it slowly spun around and sat down in a ball, softly purring.

She lightly hugged at the furry ball in her sweater. "Pumpkin. I think you and I can get used to eachother."


	6. Meet the Cats

"Well, that's the Reptile House done. How far until we see the elephants, Laplace?"

Perri turned to look at Laplace's face as the taller woman flicked through the map of the zoo. She noticed the bright sun bringing out freckles on her face that she hadn't seen before. Perri already felt her own skin burning in the heat wave, the last gasp of summer weather before the winter chill. Amy, currently enjoying a bag of popcorn beside them, had suggested they go to the city zoo for the weekend, while they still had the good weather. Well, her first idea had been the beach, but Laplace and she bargained that down to only going if the heat lasted long enough after a Sunday to somewhere else, so the zoo it was. Good Lord, Perri thought, what if some of the students saw them?

"The elephants seem to be down that path, on the other side of the tiger pit.", Laplace pointed forward, on a path parallel to a ring of steel railings circling a pit. The zoo was hardly packed, the summer boom of visitors over, but the path Laplace pointed to had more people than the average they had seen during the day, suggesting it was a place boasting a few star attractions.

"Jeeze, Perri, you're pretty damn eager to see these elephants.", Amy noted, ruffling Perri's hair. Perri blushed, straightening her hair out again.

"I've always wanted to ride one, ever since I saw _The Jungle Book_ as a kid. They're so big an powerful and-oh!", she turned to run towards a sign next to the railing of the tiger pit.

"'The Siberian Tiger is the largest cat on Earth. Native to the Sikote-Alin mountain range, less than 600 individuals are alive today, but due to conservation efforts that number is rising. Wysex and Jaden are the third-generation descendants of a donation by Novosibirsk Zoo in the 1980's. Their coats are of-'"

"Perri, there they are!", Laplace interrupted Perri's reading, in a hushed tone. Perri looked up to see two huge tigers emerge from behind a rock formation, drinking from a stream with a few cubs in tow.

"Awww!", Amy sounded, moving her popcorn to dig into her pocket. "Hey Perri, get into shot, I'll take your pic!"

Perri looked at her, and acquiesced, "Alright!", shifting to the right to get between them and the tigers leaning back on the railing. "Tell me how to pose!"

"You're good for the catwalk, Perri!", complemented Laplace at seeing Amy fiddle with her camera-phone, who responded with a "Hey-oooo!"

Perri smiled. She hadn't known either of them for very long, but for their quirks she had thought they were pretty cool people, being friendly enough to let her into their little world.

She barely heard the 'cheese' as her ears rang of the bolt that snapped off the connection to the section of railing she was leaning on. She had even less conscious thought to give to the sight of the world spinning as both she and the railing fell backwards.

In just a second, by the moment the camera clicked, she had disappeared under the new entry into the pit.

"Perri!", screamed Laplace and Amy, running to the edge of the rim. About fifteen feet below them, on a patch of dirt ground, Perri laid on top of the railing, not moving.

Amy ran her hands her her hair, muttering, "Shit, shit, shit, what do we do, what the hell do we do?" Laplace spun around in a panic, looking for a zookeeper. "Help! Someone's fell into the tiger pit!"

Amy took a deep breath, looking down at Perri, still lying still on the ground below them.

"Fuck me."

Laplace stood in shock as she saw Amy step off the edge. "Amy!", she shouted, ducking down to peak just over the edge, seeing the woman landed on her feet at the bottom, "What you doing, you crazy bastard?!"

"Chill!", Amy shouted back, looking down at Perri to her right. She could see her eyes slowly opening, possibly her regaining consciousness. "Perri, are you alright?!", Amy asked, much more quietly, putting her hand on her back to shake her.

"Uhhhhh...", moaned Perri, pushing herself up with her hands, "What happened..."

"We're in the tiger pit, Perri.", answered Amy, managed to send a chill down her own spine.

Perri continued lifting herself off the railing, "What...Tiger...", before freezing when she lifted her head.

"Amy.", she spoke, as evenly as she could manage. "They see us."

Amy looked up to see them. Two Siberian Tigers, each one the size of a motorcycle, stood about thirty feet away, watching them. Amy had no idea how fast they could run, but she couldn't imagine it would give them much time. "Is this where we puff ourselves up to look as imposing as possible?", she asked Perri.

"No!", shouted Laplace from above, "They have cubs! Being threatening will just make them want to kill you more!"

"Wow, thanks!", screamed Perri, harshly, jolting up to a stand. Amy looked behind them for a moment, not an instant more than she dared to, to see her climbing surface. She met with fifteen feet of concrete wall, poured into a concave surface like a seawall, impossible to climb.

They couldn't go back, and they couldn't go forward. Amy darted her eyes left and right, trying to see an exit. "Blue! You see a gate anywhere?!"

"I think I see one at the other end! Go right!"

"Alright, P, get ready to run.", Amy slowly motioned to Perri.

"I can't.", Perri replied, refusing to take her eyes off the tigers.

"Perri, seriously, we need to high-tail it, _now_."

Perri slowly leaned to her left, to Amy , "I can't move. I can't."

Amy was dripping with sweat, adrenaline shooting through her veins as her heart boomed in her temples, "Perri, this isn't the time to pa-"

"I _can't_. _Move_." Perri pleaded, one last time.

Then one of the tigers took one lumbering step forward.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH", Perri yelled, shooting off to the right and sprinting as fast as she could, Amy staying close behind her.

The ground had been mostly level next to the wall, and minus a near slip when crossing the stream that ran through an iron grate, Amy and Perri kept at full sprint. Amy could see that Perri was running with a slight limp, maybe through hurting herself on the railing. She nearly slowed down, the popcorn in her stomach making a quick job of leaving her winded, but a momentary turn of her head to the left, and the spotting of an orange blur, put her back to top speed.

At last, they approached the gate, part of a section of wall made of vertical metal bars, like a prison cell. Amy had slightly overtaken Perri, and banged on the gate, locked shut with a chain. "Hey! Is anybody out there?!"

She turned to check if the tigers were there, but she could only see Perri, ten feet back, on the ground after tripping on a log. "Perri! Ar-"

The tigers emerged, slowly lumbering from the bush, one approaching Perri and the other facing Amy, putting itself between the two women.

Perri rolled onto her back, causing the tiger to halt for a moment, giving her a considering look. Perri was frozen in helplessness, her arms instinctively up and exposing her belly. She started hyperventilating at the thought of disembowelment.

"Amy...please, help me...", she whimpered, as the tiger took a few more steps toward her. Sniffing her, it began licking her face, her skin getting a few scratches from the tongue meant to peel hide off flesh. It placed its forepaws across her torso, and gave a yawn, baring a mouth that could fit her head inside, armed with a set of thick and sharp teeth. A small voice inside Perri's mind told her to stay still, accept her fate, and try to faint to avoid the worst of the pain.

She stayed fully aware as 300 pounds of tiger slumped on top of her, using her as a cushion.

"P!", Amy whispered, losing her mind at the site of what seemed to be Perri being adopted, but still alert at the tiger directly in front of her.

She nearly had a heart attack as the tiger roared and leaped at the bar wall, from which squirted a jet of water aimed for the tiger.

"We're here, Amy!", cried Laplace, which Amy could see was holding the hose the water was coming from, "Get Perri!"

"How?!", screamed Amy, looking at Perri, who now seemed to be having her face licked by one of the cubs.

"Here, take this!", yelled another voice, likely a zookeeper, pushing something through the bars.

Amy grabbed it immediately, looking at it in her hands. It was a brown leather bullwhip.

"What the hell do I do with this?!", scoffed Amy.

"Smack them!", ordered the zookeeper, "Get them to retreat for the cubs' safety!"

Adrenalin continued to numb away at her sense of danger as she unfurled the whip, letting about ten feet of leather strip fall to the ground as she took a few swings to get used to the weight.

Moving her arm in a great arc, she took one first swing at the approaching tiger, hitting the ground just beside it, causing it to flinch but not much. Amy tried shifting around it, sliding right in a semicircle she planned to eventually reach Perri on. She took another swing, this time a direct hit on the snout, causing a blood-curdling snarl.

The tiger on top of Perri also roared, jumping off her and dashing behind the tiger facing Amy.

After a few more swings, Amy praying each time to not hit one of the cubs and shifting a little more inbetween the opening each hit gave her, she managed to get next to Perri, still catatonic on the ground.

"Perri, I think we need to get out of Dodge.", Amy assured her, in a sense of bravado that even she thought was a little misplaced.

Perri muttered something incomprehensible as she lifted herself up and took shelter behind Amy, leaning onto her for support. She managed to collect herself enough to say, "My leg feels like it's broken. I need carried if I'm going to move."

"Well, I'm not going up against these things without a whip!", snapped Amy.

Water squirted out of the bars again, distracting the tigers. Lapis shouted, "Try heading back to where you feel in! I'll be there, we'll pull you up with the whip!"

In a spin, Amy scooped up Perri and began to run back where they came. Perri gripped on as tightly as she could as Amy leaped over the stream, sprinting the full distance back to the railing.

Her arms and legs ached as she placed Perri onto the ground. "Alright, P, get on my back.", she gasped, struggling for air as she sat in front of Perri. Perri dutifully put her arms around her neck, as Amy leaned forward to get standing again. "Alright, Laplace, c'mon, get here..."

"Amy.", said Perri, into her ear. "If we die here, let me just say...you looked really cool swinging that whip."

Amy gave a breathless laugh as her free hand gripped onto Perri's. "And thanks, P, for being so small and light."

Perri managed a tight squeeze before Laplace's head peeked over the edge. "Alright, throw me it!"

"Hold on, P.", Amy put her whole body into the swing of the roll of whip, managing to get at least one of the ends up for Laplace to catch.

After a few seconds, Laplace called out again, this time out of sight. "OK! Here it comes!"

An end of leather fell over the edge, the tip ended just about a foot above the reach of Amy's arms.

"Oh, come on!"

"Wait!, shouted Perri, shifting her weight up her back, stretching out and grabbing at the whip, rolling a length into her hands. "Grab my hips!"

Amy did a 180, Perri left hanging on to the whip-turned-rope. Amy wrapped her arms around Perri's hips, clasping on tight.

And then she noticed the orange blobs exiting the bush.

"PULL US UP! PULL US UP!"

Amy felt her feet leave the ground, just as Perri cried out in pain. Amy normally felt fine about her weight, but Perri probably didn't feel good about the weight of two people going through her spine, arms and hands.

The tigers were only a few feet away as they really began to start getting lifted. Amy swung up her legs, in preparation for a tiger jump.

Fortunately, blessedly, they reached the edge of the wall, and she felt people pull her and Perri back onto the surface.

The concrete surface was nearly the most beautiful thing she saw that day.

"Me and my fucking great ideas!", screamed Laplace, which Amy looked up to see the face of. She was overflowing with tears, hair frazzled and jaw clenched, as inelegant as she ever saw her before. "I nearly got you two killed!"

Amy and Perri looked at her, then at eachother, and began to laugh.

"What, what's so funny?!", Laplace shouted, "You were nearly eaten by fucking tigers! Do you understand how much danger you were in?!"

As one, they tackled Laplace to the ground with a hug.

"I'm being serious! I nearly killed you two with that idiotic id-"

"Shut up and hug us, Blue.", Amy commanded.

Sighing, Laplace gave in, and wrapped an arm each around Perri and Amy.

Wednesday morning. Laplace was at her desk, an arm lying on the desk to form a little hamper for Pumpkin to sit in and stay warm. With her other hand, she held up a bottle for Pumpkin to drink milk from, which they were getting through voraciously.

Perri walked in through the main entrance, only slightly limping.

"Hello!", greeted Laplace, looking up from the tiny Pumpkin. "You've been let off quickly!"

"Yeah.", replied Perri, "It was just a sprain. Still not something to run on, but not too bad. I see you're bonding with Pumpkin."

Laplace gave a grin that was downright cheeky. "Yeah, I've moved them to my desk. I thought you and Amy could do with being away from cats for a while."

Perri grimaced. "I'll be at my desk. You can get the coffee."


End file.
